His Royal Majesty, King Bubaraye Dakolo Agada IV, Ibenanaowei of Epetiama Kingdom in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, has urged the Federal Government to increase funding for Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) to enable the company to strengthen pipeline security in the Niger Delta.

King Dakolo, who is also Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, made the call at the weekend in Yenagoa during the August Stakeholders Meeting organised by PINL.

He maintained that increased funding for pipeline protection would enable more resources to reach host communities, thereby addressing some of the socio-economic factors contributing to pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.

According to him, pipeline security would become easier when communities hosting oil and gas infrastructure have greater access to resources and opportunities.

“Pipeline security becomes easy when the people have the resources from their land.

“So, the more money that gets into the community, the safer the pipelines will be. For all these years, pipelines were at risk because monies were not in the creeks. Monies were not in the communities. Monies were not reaching them,” he said.

The monarch urged the Federal Government to increase funding for pipeline protection and community development programmes, stressing that greater investment in scholarships, youth empowerment and other opportunities would encourage communities to protect critical energy infrastructure.

“If the Federal Government wants to be smarter and wants to ensure that pipeline vandalisation or any form of incursion ceases completely, then they should increase the volume of money,” he said.

King Dakolo said more contracts, facilities, scholarships, empowerment programmes and other opportunities in host communities would strengthen community ownership and reduce threats to pipelines.

Also speaking, Mr Robert Igali, Director-General, Centre for Youth Development, Bayelsa State, called on PINL to fulfil its commitments to youth empowerment, particularly as its current engagements approach expiration in 2026.

Igali said while women and students had benefited from some of the company’s interventions, more needed to be done to provide skills training and empowerment opportunities for youths.

“Speaking on behalf of the youth as DG, Centre for Youth Development, is to remind the team and the chief himself that we just have two engagements ending in 2026, and nothing practically has been done for youth training and skills training.

“The women have been taken care of. The youth must also be taken care of. And the corporate responsibility of protecting the energy infrastructure is largely in the hands of the youth,” he said.

He appealed to PINL to implement its 2026 youth empowerment allocation before its next stakeholders’ engagement scheduled for October.

“Believe me, in our next engagement, which is going to be in October, I pray that some people should have been trained and empowered,” Igali said.

Earlier, Dr Akpo Mezeh, General Manager, Community and Stakeholders Relations, PINL, thanked traditional rulers, community leaders, youths, women, security agencies and other stakeholders for their continued support in protecting the Trans-Niger Pipeline, Eastern Gas Network and other critical national assets.

Mezeh said collaboration among stakeholders had contributed significantly to improved operational stability, stressing that developments in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector had further underscored the importance of protecting critical energy infrastructure.

He highlighted the recent signing by ECOWAS heads of state of the Intergovernmental Agreement for the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) during the ECOWAS Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

According to him, the agreement provides the sovereign framework for the proposed 6,900-kilometre gas pipeline, which is expected to run from Nigeria to Morocco through 13 Atlantic coastal countries, with interconnections to landlocked Sahel countries.

He said the AAGP was designed to transport about 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually, strengthen regional energy security, support industrialisation, create jobs, expand electricity generation and connect West Africa with Morocco and European energy markets.

Mezeh said the project, jointly promoted by NNPC Limited and Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), had received the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ECOWAS member states and international development partners.

He stressed that the development demonstrated why securing energy infrastructure and maintaining peaceful relationships with host communities were essential to attracting and sustaining investment.

According to him, NNPC Limited’s June 2026 Financial and Operational Report showed a Profit After Tax of ₦535 billion in June, compared with ₦462 billion in May.

He added that monthly revenue stood at about ₦4.39 trillion, while statutory contributions to the Federation Account between January and June reached ₦6.286 trillion.

Mezeh noted that crude oil production declined slightly to 1.72 million barrels per day because of operational and technical challenges, while natural gas production increased to approximately 7.84 billion standard cubic feet per day.

He also disclosed that the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) Gas Pipeline had reached 98 per cent completion, with final tie-in activities ongoing ahead of first gas expected in August.

Similarly, he said the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline had reached 94 per cent completion, while the ANOH Gas Processing Plant had been commissioned.

Mezeh further said that NNPC Limited had secured more than US$20 billion in Gas Sale and Purchase Agreements within the past year, covering 1.29 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day for long-term LNG feedstock and an additional 750 million standard cubic feet per day for domestic industrial gas supply.

He said strategic agreements had also been signed, including a 20-year Gas Sale and Aggregation Agreement with Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and a 15-year Gas Supply Agreement with UTM FLNG.

According to him, the agreements and infrastructure projects would stimulate industrial growth, improve energy security, create employment and support Nigeria’s long-term economic development.

He, however, warned that such investments could only deliver their intended benefits if pipelines and other supporting infrastructure were adequately protected from vandalism, crude oil theft and sabotage.

Mezeh said operations along the Trans-Niger Pipeline and Eastern Gas Network corridor had largely remained uninterrupted during the past month due to collaboration among security agencies, contractors and host communities.

He, however, disclosed that incidents of sabotage, attempted vandalism and equipment failures were recorded in some operational areas.

He said prompt interventions led to the repair of affected facilities, while suspects linked to some incidents were arrested and investigations were ongoing.

“These incidents reinforce the need for stronger surveillance, timely intelligence sharing and sustained collaboration among all stakeholders,” he said.

Mezeh commended traditional rulers, community leaders, youths, women, government representatives and security agencies for their contributions to pipeline protection.

He said PINL would continue to work with the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other relevant agencies to protect critical national infrastructure.

He also announced that, following feedback from stakeholders and a review of the company’s engagement strategy, the Stakeholders Engagement Forum would henceforth be held every two months.

According to him, the new arrangement would provide adequate time for PINL to implement resolutions, monitor progress and make subsequent engagements more productive, while its community relations teams would remain active and urgent issues would continue to receive attention.

Mezeh said PINL would also strengthen community-based surveillance, expand youth and women empowerment initiatives, sustain scholarship programmes and promote peaceful conflict resolution and environmental sustainability.

He disclosed that following the success of its maiden scholarship programme, the PINL Board and Management had approved the scholarship as an annual intervention for students from its host communities throughout the duration of its contract with the Federal Government.

He said the initiative reflected the company’s commitment to education, youth development and sustainable community growth.

Mezeh also commended progress towards the resumption of crude oil production in Ogoniland, expressing optimism that sustained dialogue and inclusive participation would promote lasting peace.

He urged stakeholders to continue rejecting pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and other forms of sabotage, saying collective action was necessary to protect national assets, secure communities, attract investment, create jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s economy.

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